Vampire Kisses: Black Rose
by xShidoniiX
Summary: Raven and Alexander are beginning to over come some of their differences that have put up blocks on their reationship, but will an unwanted new antagonist drive a wall between them and end their relationship forever?VK bk7 spoilers/T for strong language.
1. The Gift

Black Rose

Chapter 1: The Gift

I had been waiting for days for the package to finally come. It was Alexander's birthday gift and I was anxious for it to arrive, and was worried that it wouldn't be here on time.

But the package finally came. It was the day before Alexander's birthday and I had almost given up hope, but it came.

I rushed it up to my room and called Onyx, the one who had recommended the gift to me.

"It came!" I squealed.

"Really? Its there? About time. You'll probably want to open it up and inspect it for cracks and scratches and stuff." She suggested.

"I'm already on it. It looks alright."

"That's good. Just make sure you've got the instructions and care details. You can't afford any mistakes."

"I know. I'll make sure to read them thoroughly."

We hung up and I put the gift back into the red velvet bag. I hoped with all of my heart that it would work.

* * *

At sunset the next day, I stood at the gate to the mansion. The little gift was wrapped in foil paper with shiny little bats on it. I was both excited and nervous to give Alexander my gift. I took a deep breath and pushed the gate open.

I knocked on the door and was greeted by Sebastian, who was toweling his hair dry.

"Hey Raven." He grinned, one fang glistening in the light of the streetlamp.

When Alexander's best friend had first come to visit, I'd had reservations. But since then, I'd become very attached to him. He was kind of like a friendly leech. He kind of…stuck to me. We were pretty tight. And I'd mostly forgiven him for trying to steal my best friend and accidentally almost making her immortal.

"Hi Sebastian." I smiled.

"Alexander's almost ready." He said, leading me into the house. "Oo! A present! What did you get him?"

"I'm not telling! It'll ruin the surprise!" I said, knowing that Alexander might accidentally overhear.

Sebastian pouted teasingly, and we both laughed.

"What's so funny?" Alexander asked, entering from the staircase.

"Nothing." Sebastian chuckled, stepping back so that Alexander could give me a hello kiss.

"Happy birthday!" I said, presenting the present. "Or, birthnight I suppose."

Alexander laughed. "I told you not to do anything like this."

"And I told you it was already done." I said. "So just open it!"

Alexander took the little package from me and unwrapped it. He opened the velvet bag and a silver ring fell into his palm.

"Raven, is this…" He whispered in awe.

Sebastian took one look at the ring and I heard his breath catch. "No. Freaking. Way."

"So you know what it is?" I asked.

"Yes." Alexander said, almost breathless. "I've heard of these, but never really thought…"

"He didn't think they were real." Sebastian said. "I knew a guy who had a friend who was rumored to have had one, but no one really knew for sure because they couldn't prove it."

"How did you get this?" Alexander asked.

I told him the whole story. I'd called Onyx and Scarlet a few weeks ago, looking for something good to buy for a gift, because I had run out of ideas. They told me about a ring they had that was supposed to give a vampire a window of safe time in the sunlight. The ring was called the Bathory Crystal ring, and it was made by a vampire alchemist in a special line of jewelry that had similar powers. The girls were willing to sell me the ring at a good price.

"We have no need for it." Onyx had said.

"We don't need sunlight." Scarlet had affirmed.

"I can't believe it!" Alexander said, leaning back in his chair. "And they've actually used it?"

I nodded. "It was their dad's or something. They said they used to experiment with it years ago."

Alexander and Sebastian were both in states of shock.

"There are obviously limits to its use." I said. "Onyx gave me the gist of it, but she also included a more detailed letter to give us all of them."

"What did she tell you?" Alexander asked.

"There's a time limit. Something like a maximum of ten hours before the effect of the ring wears off. I think it's a pretty good time. Its about a day of sun. But it has to be charged in a special way whenever its not in use, or it won't work. And it takes a full ten hours to charge completely."

Alexander thanked me for his gift by taking me into his arms and kissing me long and hard.

"Raven, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Alexander thanked me again as he took me home.

"We'll try it on Sunday, just before sun rise." He said. "That'll give us enough time to charge it up and read through Onyx's letter thouroughly."

I could see the excitement in his eyes. I said goodnight to him and went inside I'll admit, the gift was as much for me as it was for him. I was being a bit selfish with it. I wanted to be able to be with my boyfriend in the day time. I wanted to have picnics with him under the sun and go to amusement parks all day, and swim with him on hot summer days. I just wanted to share those things with him that we couldn't share before. Sure, I wouldn't be able to hang his photo in my locker, or go out to an Italian restaurant, but I'd still get at least some time with him during the day. I couldn't wait to try it out.'

* * *

I hope you've enjoyed this story and I really hope you continue to read! Its my first VK fan fiction, and its been festering in my head for a while. I think I've finally got the story line down to a point where I can write this thing! Please read more when I publish it!

.

^^^The ring this is based on can be found on the above web page labeled as Bathory Crystal ring.


	2. The Risk

Ok, I tried to post a link on the last chapter for the ring for all who are curious, but it didn't post. I can tell you how to get to the page, though! Go to Dragon weave (dot) com and scroll down until you get to Rings. Click on Gothic Rings. Scroll down the page until you see the one called Bathory Crystal Ring.

I'm glad to see that people actually read what I write! I've got two subscribers, a comment, and ten hits in twenty four hours! Maybe that is pathetic compared to some other stories, like Blood Minus which has countless hits and hundreds of reviews… But oh well! I'm excited and proud! So enjoy!

**Black Rose**

**Chapter Two: The Risk**

Thursday night, Alexander, Sebastian and I sat in the parlor, pouring over the instructions that Onyx had written.

"It says that to do the initial charging, you need to place the ring in purified spring water with sea salt and ground sage." I read aloud.

Sebastian continued, "Then you put it in the moonlight for a minimum of ten hours. The rest of the time, to hold the charge, you place it in the bag, filled with sea salt."

"To protect the ring from damage while in the rough salts, carefully wrap it in a piece of soft canvas or parchment paper." Alexander finished.

"Well." I said. "That seems rather easy to me. We've got almost everything we need. The fridge has some bottled spring water, and Jameson always keeps sea salt around for cooking. You've got canvas with your paints and stuff, right?"

Alexander nodded.

"Well, all we need is sage."

Sebastian piped in. "Actually, I've got some."

"Your mom?" Alexander asked.

"Yup. She gives it to me to line my coffin. Says it'll make it smell good."

Alexander chuckled.

"So we can start it tonight then!" I enthused.

Alexander and Sebastian set up an area for the crystal bowl to be placed while I used a mortar and pestle to crush the sea salts and sage. I felt like an old witch, mixing lotions and potions and spells beneath the moon light.

We poured some bottled water into the bowl and placed the ring in the center before sprinkling in the sage and salt. As soon as the moonlight hit the ring, the red gem seemed to begin to glow.

"Well it must be working then!" I said.

* * *

Later that night, Alexander, Sebastian and I sat out on the gazebo eating sandwiches. We gazed up at the night sky.

"If this works, Alexander," Sebastian said, "You could be gazing at a sunrise on Sunday morning while I'm tucking myself into a casket."

"You don't sound like you mind all that much." I said.

"I like the way I live, and if that means that I can't see the light of day, then so be it!" He leaned back in his chair. "From what I hear, the sun can be a bother any how. Burning your skin, making you sweat, it just doesn't sound fun."

I laughed. He'd taken the words right out of my mouth.

* * *

I snuggled with Nightmare in bed that night. I suffered a horrible case of anxious insomnia. I couldn't stand waiting until Sunday to test the ring, and I knew that Alexander couldn't either. The suspense was killing me!

* * *

I stood by Alexander's side as we watched Sebastian sink into his coffin. He gave Alexander a reassuring smile and waved as the coffin door closed. Alexander and I walked slowly down the staircase. I didn't understand why we were moving so slowly when we were both so anxious to see what would happen. We stood in the doorway of the mansion and stepped out into the open. I took Alexander's hand and smiled at him as the sky began to turn from indigo, to violet, to a light blue. I could see the sun begin to peek through the trees and gave Alexander's hand a squeeze.

But the moment the sun made its presence known, Alexander crumbled to the ground, writhing in agony. I watched helplessly as his skin began to sizzle and burn. I tried to scream, or cry out for help, but I couldn't seem to find my voice. I tried to run, to get Creepy Man or something, but I couldn't move.

A shadow came over me and I heard a familiar laugh.

"Burn, Monster Boy! Burn!" Trevor cackled.

I shot out of bed in a cold sweat, knocking Nightmare off of my bed and onto the floor with a startled hiss. I looked at my shaking hands and whimpered a little bit, just to make sure that I could still speak. The adrenalin was still coursing through my veins as I fumbled for my cell phone.

I texted Alexander as quickly as I could.

**_R U OK?_**

I waited anxiously for what seemed like hours, but I was sure was only a matter of moments for him to text back. The response was such a relief that I let go of a breath that I didn't know I had been holding.

**_I'm fine. What's wrong?_**

I quickly typed in a reply. **_Nothing. Bad dream I guess. NBD._**

**_Are you sure? _**He messaged back, almost immediately. I melted inside at his concern. He was so sweet!

**_Yes. A little rattled bt I'm good. Going 2 try 2 sleep. Dn't kno how well itll work. Lol. _**My fingers had finally stopped shaking and I was settling back into my pillow.

_**Good night & Sweet dreams. I3U.**_ Once again, I felt myself begin to melt.

I typed back an "_I 3 U2"_ and went back to sleep, my phone on my pillow and my heart fluttering like a raven's wings.

* * *

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I had a very fun time writing it. I really hope that you continue to read, and I get down on my knees to beg you to look up my Fiction Press account, Darkness Of The Midnight Dawn. PLEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSEEEEEEEE?

Ok, enough of that. Keep reading please!


	3. The Risk Part II

Ah, another chapter! This is starting to get even more fun!

**Black Rose**

**Chapter Three: The Risk Part II**

School held no interest for me on Friday. I was so anxious about that dream I had had to really focus on much of anything. I kept thinking, What if the ring didn't work? What if Alexander got hurt?

I kept replaying that dream in my head until I got home. My cell phone rang in my pocket and Alexander came up on the caller ID.

"Having trouble sleeping?" I asked.

"A little bit." He laughed. "What was that dream you had last night? You must have been really shaken by it."

"I think we might want to postpone the test. Take a few more precautions." I said.

"Jameson has been thinking the same thing. He thinks that the ring won't work."

"That's what I'm worried about too. What will happen if you get caught in the sunlight and it doesn't work?" I whispered, so that any eavesdropping brothers couldn't hear.

There was a pause, then, "Nothing good."

After we hung up the phone, I took out my diary and brainstormed some ideas for precautions. Jameson should be standing by with a bucket of water or something. We should have a cloak with us at the ready. We should stay in front of the house for a few minutes just to be safe.

* * *

That night I returned to the mansion to find the boys sprawled out playing some video games again. Alexander tried to get up, but I said, "Don't you dare. Kick his ass!"

Sebastian laughed. "No way that's going to happen." I watched them through a few games until Jameson announced "breakfast".

As we ate, we tossed around a few ideas about the ring.

"I don't think that we should postpone the test," Alexander said, "But, Raven, you and Jameson are right. We need to take some precautions."

"I've been thinking about a few things we can do." I said. I told them about my list of options and precautions.

"You really thought this through." Sebastian said, leaning back in his chair.

"Of course!" I said.

After we ate, we sat out on the gazebo. I gazed up at the stars from the gazebo bench. Time seemed to fly by. Sebastian had his portable game and Alexander and I had each other to talk about nothing with.

"You know those Cra-z Art markers and crayons?" I asked.

"Yeah." Alexander said. "What about them?"

"They suck."

He laughed.

"They do! The blues look like greens, the black comes out looking like dirty dish water, and the crayons are made of cheap wax. Just like Rose art,"

Alexander laughed., and before I knew it I had to go home.

"You know…" I said, "If I was a vampire…"

Alexander gave me a stern look.

I threw up my hands. "I'm just sayin'"

Alexander walked me home that night instead of driving.

It was a warm night with just a gentle breeze. Alexander and I held hands. I leaned up against his shoulder.

"So you're set on this Sunday, huh?" I asked warily.

"Are you ok, Raven?" He asked with concern, "Why are you so against this all of a sudden?"

"I just don't want to lose you." I admitted.

Alexander's eyes softened and he pulled me into a light embrace. "Raven, I'll be ok. With the precautions you've come up with and the extra charge we're putting into the ring, I'll be fine."

"But what if you're not? Then it'll be all my fault! What would I say to your mother? 'Sorry Mrs. Sterling, I gave him the ring and the false hope'?" I was on the verge of hysteria. I was so terrified that something was going to happen to Alexander that I wasn't thinking clearly.

"Raven, please calm down. Everything will be alright. I promise." He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

I let the anxiety shudder through me. "I'm just worried. And more than a little bit scared."

"I am too, but it's a scary thing. We can get through it together."

We held a passionate kiss before saying goodnight.

I had trouble sleeping again that night, but luckily I got through the night with out any horrible dreams. 


	4. The Test

Ok that last chapter was short, but I get the odd feeling that this one will be shorter. Oh well. The next one should be epic! Yay! My goal is to reach ten chapters in the next six days. Hopefully I can do it! Wish me luck!

**Black Rose**

**Chapter 3: The Test**

I spent my entire day Saturday texting Alexander. His plan was to stay up all day Saturday, sleep for part of the night, then stay awake on Sunday. He wanted to reverse his sleep schedule for a while. When I wasn't texting Alexander, I was passing the slow hours by rereading Dracula for the hundredth time, and then shopping with Becky.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" She asked in the dressing room of a small boutique in the center of town.

"I don't know." I said, examining my finger nails. "I think Alexander and I are hanging out for the day."

"For the day?" Becky repeated, "You mean he's actually coming out in the sunlight?" She giggled. "Doesn't he sleep during the day, or study?"

I knew she only meant it as a joke, but it almost hurt a little inside. "Yeah, he does sleep most of the day away, then he usually spends the last of it studying, but its Sunday. Even Alexander gets a weekend."

* * *

"Raven," Mom said as I walked through the front door. "Why don't you have Alexander over for breakfast tomorrow morning?" She suggested. "You're always hanging out over there on the weekends. Why doesn't he come over here for a change. Henry will be over, so it'll be nice for you to have some one to talk to while your brother is preoccupied."

My first instinct was to come up with a reason why he shouldn't come: Exams, late nights, a cold, Billy's cooties… But then I remembered the ring.

"Sure. I'll call and invite him." I said.

Mom got excited about this. She went out to the supermarket a few minutes later to buy eggs, bacon, and other breakfast paraphernalia.

* * *

When I got to the mansion that night, just before sunset, Jameson told me that Alexander was up in his room. I walked up the stairs quietly, for fear of waking Sebastian, and knocked on Alexander's door. He opened it up and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I wish I could have meet you at the front door, but I guess this will have to do for now." He said.

* * *

We got half way through _Carrie_-the good one with Sissy Spacec-before the sun fully set. We finished the movie and began to set up for the trial. We pulled the heavy curtains closed down stairs so that if he needed to retreat indoors it would be safe. We set a couple of big pots of ice by the door as well. They would melt by morning, but they would be nice and cool to treat any burns. Jameson brought out a heavy black cloak. He folded it up and placed it on the floor next to the door.

"Master Alexander," He said, "I ask you to do this one favor for me."

"What is it, Jameson?"

"Please wear this when you try out the ring for the first time. It will…minimize the burn area."

"Of course Jameson."

We put out a burn kit and some bandages just to be safe.

"You won't catch on fire or anything, right?" I asked.

He laughed. Not the reaction I had expected. "Of course not! I just get some really bad burns. Kind of like a really really bad sunburn. That's just if I'm out there for about a minute, though. Any longer," his voice darkened, "and it would get a hundred times worse."

I looked at my combat boots.

He put a hand on my head. "Don't worry. I won't let that happen." His voice lightened up to a joking tone. "Besides, I can't leave my girlfriend to the hands of Trevor Mitchell."

I made a disgusted face. "He's such a Neanderthal!"

We both laughed.

* * *

I stayed up late that night, considering what to do with Alexander. It was hard. I never really thought about what to do for fun in the daytime because I normally avoided day time activities. I wanted to avoid Alexander's "Fan Club". Those Pradabees only wanted him because he was famous.

I wanted to take him somewhere special. Somewhere where that would make the day truly special.

* * *

I woke up a couple of hours before sunrise the next morning. I rushed to throw on a black and white striped t-shirt dress and a few bone shaped hair clips. I grabbed a pair of flip flops with pewter skulls on them that Aunt Libby had sent me and left a note for my mom before running over to Alexander's house.

Jameson let me in the door. Alexander and Sebastian were in the foyer. Alexander was pacing nervously, and Sebastian was leaned against the wall. Alexander and I kissed and I handed him some sun block.

"You can never be too safe." I said. "This is the highest SPF I could find. 55."

He thanked me and I helped him put some on. He had on pair of tight black shorts and a studded belt with a plain black t-shirt and a pair of dark Ray-Bans. I had a back pack with me big enough to hold the cloak, but not so big that it was bulky. That way, if Alexander didn't need it, we could just stash it in a safe place.

"How much time do we have?" He asked.

Jameson checked his pocket watch. "About fifteen minutes."

"Hope you don't mind me staying in here." Sebastian said. "I rather like my face the way it is." He was teasing, but I could hear a tinge of anxiety beneath it.

He and Alexander clasped hands and gave each other a brotherly hug.

Alexander took my hand and we took a step out the door. The sky was already lighter than it had been. Sebastian took cover in the darkened house and Jameson stood by the door. I helped Alexander into the cloak. He left the hood down. The two of us stepped out into the open yard, but were sure to stay close to the door.

He gave me a kiss and whispered an "I love you" into my ear. We held hands and looked to the East, waiting for the sun to arrive. It began to come over the trees first. Alexander gave my hand a squeeze. I felt my heartbeat quicken with anticipation.

The sun slowly began to crawl over the tree tops.

Alexander threw his hand up to shield his eyes from the unexpected brightness.

And then the sun rose above the trees.


	5. Burn

**Black Rose**

**Chapter Five: Burn**

I held Alexander's hand and we both watched as the sun began to come over the trees. He threw up his other hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun, and I saw his irises glow red from behind the sunglasses.

I looked at him nervously. Jameson tensed at the door. He gave my hand a small squeeze.

Then the sun came over the tree tops. I immediately felt its warmth, and Alexander let out an involuntary hiss. I felt my heart rate quicken, expecting to see his skin fizz and boil.

"Alexander?" I whispered.

He moved his arm away from his face. His eyes were hidden by the Ray-Bans, but I could tell he was in shock. He looked at his hands. Then he beamed. I had never seen him smile so brightly before.

"It…it worked?" I asked, suddenly becoming overjoyed. "It actually worked!"

I found myself laughing hysterically with relief, a feeling I'd never had before swept over me.

Alexander wrapped his arms around me tighter than he ever had before and we just clung to each other for a moment.

We went inside to say goodbye.

"Thank you, Jameson." Alexander said, giving the old man a hug.

"Dude, I can't believe it actually worked!" Sebastian said, giving Alexander a fist pound.

"You should go to bed. Its late for you to be up." Alexander suggested.

"See you on the flip side." Sebastian winked at us before disappearing upstairs.

Alexander folded the cloak and, to Jameson's relief, put it in the back pack with the sun screen.

"Miss Raven," Jameson said, "Please take care of Master Alexander for me."

"Will do." I said with a wink.

And with that, the two of us ventured into the sun light. I had to admit, Alexander was sexy in the candle light, and remained sexy even under the harsh fluorescent lights of Hasty's Diner. But in the sunlight, Alexander was breathtakingly gorgeous. His pale complexion seemed to glow and his hair shined under the sun's rays.

He took my hand and we walked through the town.

* * *

It was about eight o'clock when we got to my house. We had stopped at the cemetery along the way so that Alexander could see his Grandmother's monument in the daylight.

My mom, of course, was already up and dressed.

"Hello, Alexander." She greeted, "You sure get up early."

"Hello," He said sheepishly. He was still so shy around my parents, a stark contrast to what he was like when we were alone or with Sebastian.

"I'm glad someone was able to get Raven up." She continued. "I can never seem to get her up for anything, especially not school. It's refreshing to see her awake before noon every once in a while."

"Ok, mom," I said, before she could start talking about more embarrassing subjects, like baby pictures. "We'll just be in my room."

"I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

"'Kay." I called from the stairs, "And remember! No garlic!"

"I remember."

I shut the door when we were safely in my room. I opened my window and let sunlight stream through, something I rarely did, but I knew Alexander would enjoy.

We sat on my floor, Alexander in the sunlight from my window, and me in the shadow. We talked for ages and heard the other inhabitants of the house begin to rise and shine.

"What did it feel like?" I asked.

"It was…warm at first. Just really warm." Alexander explained. "It's a lot warmer now, more so that I am used to, but maybe that's because I've been stuck in the dark for so long." He laughed a little. "I wonder if it's warmer for me than it is for you."

"Maybe. Or maybe it just seems that way."

"Kids" My mom called from the kitchen, "Breakfast is ready."

My mom had an amazing breakfast spread out. Bacon and sausage, pancakes, assorted fruits, scrambled eggs, toast, bagels with cream cheese of three flavors. She must have started working as soon as we had gotten home, and it must have been a Herculean feat.

"So, Raven," My dad asked, "What do the two of you have planned for the day?"

"I don't know. We were planning on going to the park, then maybe walk around town at lunch time."

"Well, how about after lunch you two meet me at the country club? There are some guys there that would really like to meet you, Alexander."

I looked at my boyfriend. I hadn't planned on going to the country club, but it was Alexander's day to soak up some sun and have some fun.

"What do you think?" I asked him. "Do you want to go?"

"I guess so." He said. "Lets go."

"Great!" Dad said enthusiastically.

"Hey, Alexander," Henry said, "How's Valentine?"

Ever since the incident with Valentine several months ago, my little brother and his friend had been obsessed with the idea that Valentine was a vampire. They were right, of course, but we had to make sure that they didn't know that.

"He's doing fine." Alexander said. "He went back to Romania with Jagger and Luna."

That was a lie. I had to assume that Valentine was in Romania, because there hadn't been any sign of him in a while, but I knew for a fact that Jagger and Luna hadn't returned. They had shown up to a party Alexander and I had held for Sebastian to find his dream girl only a few nights ago.

Henry and Billy exchanged a meaningful look.

"You don't still think he's a vampire, do you?" I asked.

"Of course we do." Billy said. "I would think that you of all people would be excited by this."

"You've got something wrong in the head, Nerd-o." I gave him a tap on the forehead.

* * *

Alexander helped me and my mom clean up from breakfast, despite her pleas for s to go have fun.

"It's fine." She insisted. "I can take care of it."

"But I'd like to help you out." Alexander said.

He took hold of a pan that had been sitting on the counter, in the direct sunlight, but immediately jerked his hand away.

He gasped with pain, and I rushed over to help him. "Oh my gosh! Alexander, you're burned!"

I took a look at his hand and it was already beginning to swell. I tapped the pan, and it was only warm from being in the sunlight. Not nearly enough to cause a burn of this magnitude. Not enough to cause a burn at all.

"Oh my, I thought it would have cooled off by now." My mom handed Alexander some ice. "Let me go get a bandage and some burn ointment."

"Are you ok?" I asked when she left the room.

He nodded. "I don't know what happened."

"That pan was sitting in the sunlight." I observed. "Maybe that was why it burned you."

"Maybe."

I took the pan and placed it in the sink. "Looks like we're going to have to be more careful."

"I think its because it was metal. Metal gets hot in the sunlight. Just to be safe, I'll have to avoid any direct contact with metal."

My mom came back and treated Alexander's wound. She wrapped his hand in a non-adhesive bandage and gave him the ice back.

"I want you to hold onto this until it melts, otherwise the burn will continue to do damage to the skin." My mom said like a modern day Florence Nightingale.

I went up to my room and found some plain black leather fingerless gloves for Alexander to wear.

"Thanks." He said, pulling on the gloves.

"I hope they work." I told him.

"They should. As long as I'm careful." He flexed his injured hand. "It's feeling much better now."

"That's good." I sighed with relief.

We finished in the kitchen and retrieved the backpack from my room.

I took Alexander's hand. I smelled the fresh sun block on his skin. He put his Ray-Bans back over his eyes. I said goodbye to my mom, and we set out on our adventure.

* * *

Well. That only took three days to write. Fun fun. I hope this chapter was ok. I feel like I could have made it better. Oh well. It is what it is. I hope you've enjoyed it! X3


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